Read Online A Fine Specimen by Lisa Marie Rice - Free Book Online

tug her arm free while reaching for her books. His grip
didn’t hurt, but it was firm. “Thank you for carrying my book bag, but now I
have to run—”
    He was glaring at her
grimly. “You’re not running anywhere, Ms. Summers, you’re coming with me.”
    Caitlin stopped, all
semblance of thought flown from her head. In gripping her elbow, he had swung
her close to him. So close she had to look up to see his face. So close she
could see the beginnings of a dark beard—he was the kind of man who probably
had to shave twice a day if he went out in the evenings. So close she thought
she could smell him—a faint tang of soap and leather and gun oil—over the
station-house smells of must and sweat and disinfectant. Even though he was
glaring down at her, Caitlin had an insane desire to move even closer, to see
if he felt as wonderful as she remembered.
    Temptations were there
to yield to—and she shuffled half a step closer to him.
    Oh God, yes, he felt so
delicious. So very unlike anyone she’d ever touched before. Most of the men she
touched were students, with soft, thin limbs. Touching them had never been a
turn-on.
    Last fall, she’d dated a
biology major who was hooked on weightlifting and could bench press her late,
unlamented car. He had muscles coming out his ears. He’d felt lumpy and hard,
like rocks in a sock. He had been so involved in his own body that kissing him
had been like kissing her arm. That hadn’t been a turn-on, either.
    This was a turn-on, feeling that strong, lean, fit
body against hers. The temptation to reach up and cup her hand to that dark
face, just to see if she could soften it up, was almost overwhelming.
    Clearly the man played
havoc with her thought processes and that was dangerous as hell. This was not a
man you played around with. Not only was he tough and emotionally remote, she
needed his cooperation for the next week. Touching him was out of the question.
    She curled her fingers
into the palm of her hand and stepped back immediately.
    “I have to go now,
Lieutenant,” she said, trying to tug her arm free. “The bus—”
    “I told you to call me Alex.
And you’re not catching that bus.”
    Caitlin blinked. “I beg
your pardon?”
    He released her elbow
and put a large hand to the small of her back. “You have to call me Alex if I’m
going to be your babysitter.”
    Intimidating or not,
Caitlin felt her indignation rise at his words. She’d lost her father at a
young age and she’d held down a job of one kind or another since she was
twelve. She’d put herself through college and graduate school by dint of sheer
hard work and was used to taking care of herself. In fact, she prided herself
on her independence.
    Caitlin stopped dead in
her tracks, glaring up at him. “I don’t need a babysitter, thank you
very much. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Which right now
means making that eight o’clock bus, otherwise I’m stuck without a ride and I
don’t have cash for a cab.” Caitlin was trying to be forceful and make him
understand that she had to get out of the station house fast, but he was almost
pushing her to a side door.
    “You have a ride,” he
said. “Me.”
    “Lieutenant Cruz—”
    “Alex.”
    “Alex,” she said between
clenched teeth, and dug in her heels. This was terrible and counterproductive.
The last thing she needed was for him to feel that she was going to be a burden
on him. That would be giving him ammunition to get rid of her as soon as
possible. “There is no reason whatsoever for you to feel that you have to babysit
me, or feed me, or drive me around. Now, I would stay and argue the point with
you, but I really, really have to catch my bus .”She looked down
pointedly at her arm, where he still held her by the elbow. He dropped his
hand.
    “Ray sent you.” The
lieutenant’s deep voice made the statement as if it were the clincher in an
argument. He shrugged.
    Caitlin glanced at her
ancient cheapo faux Swatch and the